wells



Nov. 2O, 1928.

' W. W. WELLS FOUR-SPEED TRANSMISSION Filed Feb. 24, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Nov.20, 1928.

w. w. WELLS FOUR-SPEED TRANSMISSION Filed Feb. 24, 1925 Patented Nov. 20, 1923a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE-..

WALTER W. WELLS, OF LANSING, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO REO MOTOR CAR GOM- PANY, or LANSING, MICHIGAN,

A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN'.

FOUR-SPEED TRANSMISSION.

Application led February The invention relates to transmission mechanisms for motor vehicles and the principal object is to produce a quiet running transmis sion having a plurality of forward and revers ing speeds giving a series ofspeedratios which are particularly desirable for a motor vehicle operating in both flat and hilly country.

Other objects of the invention reside in the novel construction and combination of parts as hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings Wherein 1- Figure 1 is a longitudinal. section through the transmission;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is another transverse section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

The transn'iission comprises three principal units designated as A, B and C, each of these units containing a gear reduction meclr anism operated by a suitable control rod and providing two alternative speeds. The unit A comprises essentially a driving pinion, a concentric internal gear, a revolving carrier member having journaled eccentrically thereon an intermediate gear meshing both with said pinion and said concentric internal gear. The carrier member is adapted to be clutched either to the internal gear or to a fixed member in the transmission case, thereby alternatively compelling the rotation of the parts as a unit forming a direct drive or at a reduction depending upon the relative size of the gears. The unit B an internal planetary gear reduction provided with means for alternatively forming a direct drive or for obtaining a reduction by causing the planet gears to travel around the sun gear. The unit C is an internal planetary reversing gear adapted tb couple the unit B to the driven shaft to drive the latter' either directly from the unit B or in the reverse direction at a reduced speed. All of the above mentioned units are mounted in a common transmission easing forming a compact assembly and a uni tary structure.

Referring .now to the more specific construction illustrated in the drawings, D rep`.

resents the transmission casing composed preferably of the units D1, D2 and D3 to aid in the assembly of the parts, these units being secured together by suitable means such as the bolts 1 extending through flanges on the respective units. Olamped between the re- 24. 1925. Serial No 11,271.

spective units and extending inwardly into the transmission casing are the supporting walls 2 and 3, these Walls being provided with central apertures forming bearing faces for the roller bearings 4 and 5. The front and rear Walls 6 and 7 respectively are also adapted to receive anti-friction bearings. these being illustrated as the ball bearings 8 and 9, forming the main support for the rotatable units Within the transmission.

10 is the driving shaft and 11 the driven shaft journaled respectively in the bearings 8 and 9 and projecting inwardly Within the transmission casing in axial alignment. 12 is an intermediate rotatable member journaled at one end by the roller bearing i and at the other end by the roller bearing 15, the latter being carried by a rotatable sleeve 1+i which in tu rn is ournaled in the roller bearing 5.

rlhe inner end of the driven shaft 11 is journaled in the sleeve 14 by the roller bearing 1G While the inner end of the. driving shaft l() is correspondingly j ournaled in the rotatable member 12 by the roller bearing 13. rhe structure as above described provides for a relative motion between each of the various units but allows the same to be rigidly supported in the transmission case to prevent vibration of the same.

Referring novv more specifically to the con struction of the unit A, the driving shaft 10 has rotatably moimted thereon by the roller bearings 17 the carrier member or eccentric 18, the latter having at its inner end the eccentric hub portion 19 supporting the roller bearings 20 for rotatably mounting the eccentric intermediate gear 21. This gear has at the for- Ward end the internal teeth 22 which continuously mesh With the external pinion teeth 23 on the driving shaft 10 and at the rearward end thereof is formed with the external teeth 24 which continuously mesh With internal teeth 25 carried by the rotatable member 12. The carrier member 18 is provided with a flange 26 to which is secured a ring member 27 having external teeth 28, this ring member also supporting a countervveight 29 for balancing the carrier during its rotation. 30 is a collar having the internal teeth 31 engaging the external teeth 28, this collar being longitudinally slidable on the ring 27 by means of a shifting fork 31', the latter being mounted en the shifting rod 33 are clutch teeth fixed to the Wall t3 of the transmission lli) casing and. adapted to mesh with the iiiteriial teeth 81 of the collar 30 when the latter is shifted to its forward position thereby loci., ingl the carrier or eccentric 18 from rotation. The rotatable member 12 also carries at its forward end the external teeth 34 arranged iii alignment with the teeth on the collar 3G so that in the rearward position of the latter the carrier 18 will be directlt7 coupled to the rotatable member 12.

Broni the above description it will be ap parent that when the collar 30 is shifted to the rearward position the eriviiig shaft 1t) and the intermediate member 12 will be ceiiipolled to rotate together, forming a direct drive. the car'ier 18, eccentric gear 21 and collar 30 all revolvingY together a uni @n the other hand, when the collar SO is slir'ted to its forward position it will be linee against rotation by eiigaeing vthe ipiized cli l li teeth therehv locking the carrier i3 to the transmission casing and disengafh/ving` the saine from the member 1Q, The erive will new he at a reduced speed through the intermediate gear 21 which meshes both with the pinion Q23 and the internal gear teeth 25.

yThe transmission unit l comprises the sun gear 35 preferabljg7 formed integral with the rotatable member 12, this sun engaging the planetary gears 3G. The latter are rotatably mounted on the stub shafts 327 which project from the sleeve 14. 88 is an iut "nal gear also meshing` with the planet but arranged to be axially slidable bxy of the shiftingv forli 39 on 'iii'tiiig red ln the forward position of the internal @efr 38 it meshes with the iied teeth t1 on the wall 2 f the transmission casing therehji' preventing` the rotation of the saine. The therefore compels ia'tts 9T at a remi-tied l speed and the sleeve it is coirfequ at a reduction with respect to the When the internal gear is sli rearward position it is clutched enti); driven ii'ieiiiber lf2, ii' to its directly to the external teeth l2 on the sleeve and disengaged from the teeth l1 which results ii sleeve the planet gears 35 being locked to the 14, the drive then being direct betw sleeve and the rotatable member 12. The unit C comprises thc planeten7 i3 journaled on the stub shafts lli which iii turn.y are mounted in the wall 3 of the tra iismission casing. l5 is a sun gear prefs ably formed integral with the sleeve 14 an d moshing` with the ililanetarj,Y gears; or duciiig` a reverse drive there is an iiiernal ring gear 4G slidably iiiounte n the dimer. shaft 11 and non-rotatably s ured ther the splines et?. ylihis gear is lon jecting' inwardly,1 from the ln the forward position of the planetary gears ege 46 and since the stub shafts resa-ies held stationary the driven shaft 1l is rotated in the reverse direction from the sleeve lil at i Un the other hand when tl i i shifting; f iiositioii the Y u i L teeth 116 are disch e d iroiu the planetary gears d3, but in this position the clutch teeth e9 are eiigragijei'l with correspond. rhiteh units. each provided with 'e pii-iiti iii of adiiisiiiwiit it vill be apparent that there are e i' possible speed combinations. four fore. ard a rire. aud four reverse drives. 'ii order to obtain the direct forward drive with the i:i;iiiii.-i:-ioii mechaii lis of the various units i.re all errang. in 'the rr: r position. Assuming' that the iiiiit i, has a reduction atie et 1.46 t( l. the iiiiit ll a reduction of to 1 ai il t ie reverse iziiit ll a reduction of 2.25 to l. these heine' the proportioi '1 shown in wie d. thiV voilovfiiifi' inaYYY be obtaiiii-IV pes tion and fir. i tl ere is a. for var forward and 39 are iii the foi'waifd po' hei* rcie'iiie' the ware inisition.

.lin order to provide a hrahiiigi artioii for stopping the rotation of the carriers 3S before eiig'gafgiugi' the same with the fixed lclutch teeth 33 and -l-, respecivelm .suitable brake shoes are p rovided. these beh e; reprew sented by the numeral 51. These hialie shoes are provided with carin surface SQ aud are vieldingily held outward b v the springs Sil. The brake shoes ai". :ii-ranged in the path of the rotating iiieuihefs se that the latter will engage the saine before they are ii'ieshcd with the hired clutch teeth.

wffhat 1 claim my invention is :wn

1. A transmission comprismey a casinav having` pair of eiid bearings and a pair of all of said bearingsl interiiieoiate bearir being co-aiial. a clriifiiieA shaft jouriialed iii one end bearing'. :i driven shaft jouiiialed iu the other end bearing. aii iiiteriiie( iatc revoliiblc iiieiiiber joui'iialed iii one. `ii'iterii'iediate hearing. a sleeve suirouiidingy said iiiteiiiiedi ate remluble member and said driven iii aiuber and ioiiriialed iii the oth i' iiiteriuediate bearingI antifrictioii hearing.; between said nasales si@ driving shaft and intermediate member, antifrietion bearings between said driven shaft and said sleeve, antifriction bearings between said sleeve and said intermediate member, gearing between said driving shaft and said intermediate member, gearing between said intermediate member and said sleeve and gearing between said sleeve and said driven shaft.

2. A transmission comprising a easing having a pair of end bearings and a pair of intermediate bearings eo--airial therewith, a drivingl shaft in one end bearing, a driven shaft in the other end bearing, a pair of teleseopieally arranged intermediate members journaled in said intermediate bearings and having an antifriotion bearing between eaeh other, one of said intermediate members projee-ting over said driving shaft and the other intermediate member projecting over said driven shaft, planetary gearing Connected to said intermediate members, gearing connecting said driving shaft and one intermediate member and gearing connecting the driven shaft and the other intermediate member.

3. A transmission comprising a easing` having a pair of end bearings and a pair of intermediate bearings oo-aiiial therewith, a driving shaft in one end bearing, a driven shaft .in the other end bearing, a pair of telescopieally arranged intermediate members journaled in said intermediate bearings and having an antifrietion bearing between each other, one of said intermediate members projecting over said `driving shaft and the other intermediate member projecting over said driven shaft, apinion on said driving shaft, an eeeentrieally journaled gear meshing with said pinion, an internal gear on one of said intermediate members also meshing with said eecentrically journaled gear, means for driving said internal gear from said driving shaft alternatively at a red need ratio through said eeeentrieally jour naled gear or at the same ratio through direet coupling and a planetary reversing gear between said driven shaft and the other intermediate member.

ll. A. transmission comprising a easing, an annular sleeve journaled therein, an intermediate shaft, a bearing between one end of said intermediate shaft and said easing, a bearing between the other end of said shaft and said sleeve, a sun gear on said shaft in termediate said bearings, planet gears rarried by said sleeve and meshing with said sun gear, a longitudinally shiftable annular internal gear meshing with said planet gears, a fixed 'gear with which said annular gear can mesh, a similar gear on said sleeve, a driving shaft in axial alignment with said intermediate shaft and drivingly connected therewith, a driven shaft in axial alignment with said intermediate shaft and drivingly connected to said sleeve.

5. A transmission comprising a easing, eoaxial driving and driven shafts journaled in said casing, an intermediate shaft between said driving and driven shafts and eo-a-:ial therewith, said intermediate shaft having a hollow extension surrounding said driving shaft, a sleeve surrounding one end of said intermediate shaft and one end of said driven WALTER W. WELLS. 

